Facing the scroll that suddenly appeared on the table, Shisui's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Judging from the style of the kunai and the technique used, it was clearly the Flying Thunder God Technique once mastered by the Fourth Hokage. Even among Mianma's forces, there were a few who had learned it—but Shisui wasn't sure how they compared to the original.
Naruto unrolled the scroll and skimmed it briefly, a faint, meaningful smile forming on his lips.
"A big change just happened in Konoha. Jiraiya—one of the Sannin—has replaced Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Fifth Hokage. As for Danzo… he's been exposed for human experimentation and has defected."
Shisui froze.
His expression turned complicated.
Back when the Uchiha were still in Konoha, they had struggled desperately against the higher-ups. No matter what they did, they couldn't shake the Third Hokage or Root. In the end, the Uchiha were pushed to the brink, with no room left to survive.
And now?
Just two years after leaving Konoha…
Hiruzen and Danzo had both fallen.
The remnants of the Uchiha didn't even get the chance to take revenge.
Naruto glanced at Shisui, easily reading his thoughts, and chuckled.
"You think this is absurd? To me, it's completely normal. For the Hokage faction and Konoha as a whole… the Uchiha were always outsiders."
"…Outsiders…"
Shisui repeated the word softly, then smiled bitterly.
He couldn't deny it.
After the Nine-Tails incident and the clan's growing isolation, the Uchiha had already been treated as outsiders—monitored, distrusted, and suppressed by both the Hokage's faction and the general ninja population.
And yet, their former clan head still dreamed of staging a coup and becoming Hokage.
Looking back… it was almost laughable.
Once the Uchiha left, the village didn't magically improve. The internal contradictions simply shifted back onto the Hokage himself.
That was why Jiraiya's coup had gone so smoothly.
Mianma-sama was right.
This world was just… worse.
The Third Hokage had his flaws, but the Uchiha hadn't exactly been saints either.
Setting Shisui's thoughts aside, Naruto continued reading.
In the letter, Kakashi detailed Konoha's current situation—the Third Hokage placed under house arrest, and Danzo fleeing toward the Land of Wind.
Hiruzen was one thing—Jiraiya and Tsunade would never kill him.
But Danzo?
Danzo and the remnants of Root were a serious threat.
In terms of combat strength, they were comparable to a small hidden village. And Danzo himself, with his stolen Sharingan and Kotoamatsukami, was practically a boss-level enemy.
Still… Danzo wasn't stupid.
He knew the Land of Earth and the Land of Water were too dangerous, so he chose the relatively weaker Land of Wind.
Naruto folded the scroll and looked at Shisui.
"Since Danzo has defected… are you interested in taking your eyes back?"
Shisui's eyes lit up instantly.
"Mianma-sama… you're going after Danzo?"
Naruto shook his head.
"I don't plan to waste my time on him. This revenge is yours. After all… he's the one who betrayed you."
Shisui fell silent.
Of course he wanted revenge.
He wanted to kill Danzo with his own hands.
But reality wasn't so simple.
After losing his Mangekyō Sharingan, his strength had dropped significantly. Even now, he hadn't fully recovered. And even at his peak… defeating Danzo wasn't guaranteed.
Danzo had Kotoamatsukami.
And several elite jonin guarding him.
After thinking for a moment, Shisui shook his head.
"I'm not strong enough yet. Maybe… when the next generation of the clan grows stronger, we can take revenge."
"Not necessarily."
Naruto smiled faintly.
"The jonin in this village still have room to grow."
He paused, then added with a hint of amusement,
"Ever since I came back from Ryūchi Cave, I've had people researching a way to turn senjutsu into something more… accessible. Even if someone lacks the talent for Sage Mode, they could still use a portion of natural energy."
"As my subordinate… if you're willing, you can be among the first test subjects."
Shisui stiffened.
"…A test subject?"
Yeah. That sounded reassuring. Totally not dangerous at all.
For a moment, instinctive fear flashed across his face—but in the end, he gritted his teeth and nodded.
He trusted Mianma.
There was no way Mianma would harm him.
After that, the two left the Uzushiogakure office and headed toward the Uzumaki Shrine.
What used to be a place for rituals and ceremonies had long since been transformed into a laboratory by Uzumaki Ashina. Technicians moved about freely, carrying out various experiments.
The guards quickly stepped aside when they saw Naruto and Shisui, allowing them through.
Soon, they met the old patriarch.
Ashina glanced at Shisui, then looked at Naruto with a half-smile.
"Well, well. The great leader finally remembers us old folks? I thought you'd forgotten we existed."
Karin pushed up her glasses and grinned.
"Mianma-sama is just busy. There's no way he'd forget Grandpa… or me."
Seeing Karin dressed in shrine maiden attire, Shisui leaned closer to Naruto and whispered,
"Mianma-sama… is Karin a boy or a girl?"
Naruto shot him a look.
"Weren't you there when we registered her?"
Shisui scratched his head awkwardly.
"It's just… after seeing Haku, I don't trust appearances anymore."
Naruto: "…Fair enough."
After the brief detour into existential confusion, Naruto got straight to the point.
"Old patriarch, I brought Shisui here to receive a curse mark. He's one of the top three fighters in the village—he should be able to handle the side effects."
Ashina frowned slightly, giving Shisui another long look before motioning him inside.
As someone from the Warring States era, he had an instinctive distrust of the Uchiha.
But Shisui was Naruto's man.
That was enough.
Ten minutes later, Ashina walked out with Shisui.
Naruto immediately asked, "Well? Any rejection?"
Shisui nodded and flexed his arm, where several new markings had appeared.
"There's some rejection… but it's manageable. When I activate it, my chakra increases noticeably. My speed and strength improve across the board… but the boost isn't overwhelming."
Naruto nodded.
That was exactly what he expected.
For genin and chunin, a curse mark was a massive power-up.
For elite jonin?
More like a bonus.
Helpful—but not game-changing.
Still, for someone like Shisui—already close to Kage level—it could make a difference.
Just like Sasuke's curse mark back in the day. Even though he still lost to Itachi, his overall strength had already reached the level of an Akatsuki member.
In essence, using a curse mark wasn't that different from practicing senjutsu directly.
But Uzushiogakure didn't lack top-tier fighters.
What it needed… was a strong backbone.
Jonin-level ninjas determined the true influence of a hidden village.
As for everything else—
Naruto smirked slightly.
That could be built.
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